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Hi, fellow BIAB fans,

Just bought the 2014 version and am very excited about the User Tracks option. I downloaded a few tracks made by others and they are very cool and useful.

I want to create some of my own user tracks but seem to be stuck: I realize that I cannot record audio in BIAB for Mac. So, I recorded the track in Logic, built a template with the chord sequence I need and... looking for a way to load the audio track into BIAB to then save as User Track.

Seems to be a basic procedure but I can't figure out how to add the audio file to the song. Any help is greatly appreciated!

Oleg.

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Yo can find an instruction video to use Garageband for this purpose here: http://www.pgmusic.com/videos.bbmac.htm
Scroll down to Advanced and there it is.

Success

Gerard


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Hi Oleg - we also have a video called "Making UserTracks in Band-in-a-Box 2014 for Mac" that you may find helpful:

Last edited by Callie - PG Music; 06/10/14 11:51 AM.

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Thanks, Gerard and Callie,

This is exactly what I was looking for. A bit more of a manual process than the Windows version but works - and that's enough. Now I'll try to experiment with creating A & B parts and endings.

Regards,
Oleg.

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Yes, a simple answer (other than watching the video is:)

Summary: You will be creating a BB song (called anything like Song1.sgu), and then creating an audio file (with a name matching the song, so it is song1.aiff), and then creating a folder name for your UserTracks to save to the UserTracks folder containing the song1 biab song and the audio.

1. Choose a name for your user Tracks: e.g. Banjo, Razzmatazz Peter Swing 140
2. Make a folder called /Applications/Band-in-a-Box/RealTracks/UserTracks/Banjo, Razzmatazz Peter Swing 140
3. Type in chords to a BB song, and save that to the Banjo folder you made above, Call that song anything you want, for example Song1 (BiaB adds the extension, so it is called Song1.SGU
4. In Logic (or any other DAW), create a audio file of you playing (in this case banjo) matching the chord progression to song1. Remember the 2 bar intro needs to be added.
5. From Logic, export that file as a aiff, m4a, mp3 or wav file, and save it beside the Song1.sgu with the same name, e.g. Song1.aiff

6. Now you are done, and ready to use your UserTracks! Press the UserTracks button (in 2014 on the Tools Toolbar), and choose the track (e.g. guitar track), and then choose the Banjo, Razzmatazz Peter Swing 140 UserTracks. It will work on whatever chords you type in to any song, any key!

Tip: If you save the song1.aiff as a song1.wav instead then your UserTracks will work for both Mac and Windows users!


Have Fun!
Peter Gannon
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Peter,

Thanks a lot, good to see that you are as responsive as ever!

I presume that, if I create variations in playing for A & B sub styles in my recording and save the BIAB song with A & B style markings, I will have A & B parts to use in other songs? In other words:

1. My recording has 4-to-the-bar guitar strumming for the first 16 bars and a variation with a 3rd beat accented for the next 16 bars.
2. I save the song with the first 16 bars marked as A part and the next 16 bars marked as B part.
3. Loading the User Track into BIAB, will it recognize the A & B parts, or do I need to create 2 separate User Tracks and change the track at the 17th bar in bar settings?

Regards,
Oleg.

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I presume that, if I create variations in playing for A & B sub styles in my recording and save the BIAB song with A & B style markings, I will have A & B parts to use in other songs? In other words:

Yes.

1. My recording has 4-to-the-bar guitar strumming for the first 16 bars and a variation with a 3rd beat accented for the next 16 bars.
2. I save the song with the first 16 bars marked as A part and the next 16 bars marked as B part.
3. Loading the User Track into BIAB, will it recognize the A & B parts, or do I need to create 2 separate User Tracks and change the track at the 17th bar in bar settings?

Yes, that is all correct.

Also, the example I listed above had song1.sgu. But you can add as many songs as you want, and they will all be included. For example, you could add My Other Song.sgu (and My Other Song.aiff)


Have Fun!
Peter Gannon
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How do I create endings for user tracks?

Do I need to create many songs - e.g. 12 - one for each key?

Stops, holds ..?

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Hi Armin,

>> How do I create endings for user tracks?

Just make the last 4 bars of the song the ending.

For example, if you record 64 bars of the song, that will consist of (in your audio file)

2 bars lead in
64 bars of the song
4 bar ending

If you just do a single song, and have a single ending, for example in the key of A, then that will get transposed to whatever chord you have.

For example.

Your song
ending C BB plays the A ending transposed up to C
ending Cm BB plays the A ending transposed up to C
ending D7 BB plays the A ending transposed up to D


If you record more songs, then BB will do a better job in the UserTracks. For example, if you record a D ending, and a Bm ending, and an A7 ending.
YOUR SONG YOUR BB USERTRACKS PLAYS THIS
ending C BB plays the D ending transposed down to C
ending Cm BB plays the Bm ending transposed up to Cm
ending D7 BB plays the A7 ending transposed up to D7

If you want to get "advanced" in making your UserTracks, you can record a bunch of endings within a single file. Use the F5 button, and "UserTracks development" button to mark which bars have your endings in them. Usually this isn't required, and a few songs will get you to have good major and minor endings.

Shots, holds: Not supported yet in UserTracks.


Have Fun!
Peter Gannon
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Thank you Peter - but something is strange.

I created a song - containing 4 bars for each key (E,F,F#,..,D#) - since I played only Guitar-Power chords this should then work for all songs.

After this is a 4Bar ending in the last key (D#).

When I now use this usertrack in any song I get the correct ending for these keys:
C,C#,D,D#,E,F

For all other keys I get some 4 bars of the regular bars (not the ending).


Last edited by ArminH; 06/12/14 05:16 AM.
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Hi Armin,
You are correct, if you just put in one ending, it (Windows or Mac) will prefer to play regular playing instead of doing a big transposition (e.g. instead of transposing say 6 semitones). You can record a second file with a second ending. We might change it in future to play the ending in all cases, even it meant an extreme stretch.


Have Fun!
Peter Gannon
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Hi Armin,
You are correct, if you just put in one ending, it (Windows or Mac) will prefer to play regular playing instead of doing a big transposition (e.g. instead of transposing say 6 semitones). You can record a second file with a second ending. We might change it in future to play the ending in all cases, even it meant an extreme stretch.


Have Fun!
Peter Gannon
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Hi I have BIAB 2014 For Mac And I made 2 User tracks In Same Folder As The Video Explained. First Track Succeeded And Doing The Job, But Second File Which Was Only Recorded The Shot Chords It Won;t Work ….The chords Does Not Shot ….Even I Have Tried The Sample Bundled With The BIAB 2014 User Tracks Called "Accordion, Rhythm Crossover Sw16 075" It Also Does not Follow Any Chords Settings …no Shot Hold Or Ending…. Is This An Issue In The Sysytem?

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I Tried Also To Put Pushes And Holds Into One SGU File Along With Normal Chords And Still No Effect At All, BTW I Have BIAB 2014 Build 80 For Mac …May Be This Fixed In The Update?

Last edited by ostoura; 01/14/15 04:17 AM.
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Yes there will be a fix soon hopefully.
UserTracks Shots n Holds Workaround
you could use that in BB if you could change UT at any bar.

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Waiting For It

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Be advised that this 'workaround' presumes - if not requires! - that you have Realband, which unfortunately is WinSux only!


Just because you can, doesn't mean you should!
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Ice, you should try Wine on your Mac, as Mac now uses all the Windows Technology that was developed because of all the Windows uses buying Intel CPU's.
Realband runs great with Parallels Desktop.

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Also PlayOnMac.

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